For a league that hasn’t played a match in over a week, there’s a lot to process coming out of NISA. The league has been focused on its fall season, which is in full swing, headed for their eventual playoff. That season hasn’t been without its own surprises, including a shocking front runner in the standings and a series of red cards that drew negative attention on social media. So lots of fun things going on in the league and this last week has offered even more surprises.

The first big news was the rollout of a playoff broadcast partner, beIN Sports. The partnership will allow fans access to NISA matches on beIN’s SPORTS XTRA. According to the press release, the channel is “available in the U.S. and Canada on The Roku Channel, Samsung TV Plus (1163), and XUMO TV (746), and additionally in the U.S. on Pluto TV, Redbox, Tivo, and over-the-air stations in Los Angeles, Chicago, Philadelphia, Dallas – Fort Worth, Houston, San Jose – San Francisco – Oakland, Atlanta, Miami – Fort Lauderdale, San Diego, Salt Lake City, Hartford, Columbus, Las Vegas, and Austin, among others.”

While some fans in the know have questioned the quality of the beIN streaming platform in comparison to often beleaguered MyCujoo (for the record, I’ve never had an issue with MyCujoo), I would still consider it a big win for the league. Outside of obscure foreign leagues or lower league American soccer, MyCujoo is out of the public consciousness. Getting a deal (still many aspects to be learned about that deal) with a major name in soccer broadcasting does more than putting matches on TVs. It gives the league more credibility and places NISA in the same sentences as beIN Sports. That’s a big win.

Paired with that bit of news is the announced plan return of San Diego 1904. There had been many rumors of the club’s demise after their announced exit from the 2020 Fall season. Those rumors are now crushed by the joint announcement today. “We can't wait to get back out there this spring to compete and continue the growth of the club; the passion is undeniable,” says owner and striker for both the Turkish club İstanbul Başakşehir and the Senegal national team Ba. “We chose San Diego for a reason – the passion is undeniable. Nothing is worse for a player, fan or owner than not playing. We're competitors, that's why we play, and that's also why we created this club just over three years ago. The obstacles remind me of the start of my playing career, but you just keep working and things start opening up. There's a lot of great footballers, and the city is a football (soccer) city."

For the league this is a massive bit of positive PR. Fans of American soccer know how quickly clubs can go out of business. Having a massive vote of confidence from the club ownership places NISA into a different class of league (at least from what American fans are used to). The remaining shoe to drop is Stumptown, but no news yet on that front.

These two items are joined by last weekend’s sit out by the players, protesting police brutality and institutional racism. While some may have complained, the boycott by the players was also great publicity for the league. Being socially conscious as a league is becoming the standard in the United States. Living up to the other leagues places you into that conversation. Granted the credit for that boycott should go to the players, as they made the decision. All in all, it’s been a solid couple of weeks for NISA after the weekend of red cards, which the league also handled effectively. Good to see as a fan of the league.

- Dan Vaughn

cover photo from @nisaleague.